Question 1

Prepare your stories

Accepted Answer

Before the session, ensure all user stories are well-written with clear acceptance criteria. Vague stories lead to imprecise estimates.

Question 2

Understand the scale

Accepted Answer

Use the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8...) to represent relative effort. Larger numbers indicate increasing complexity, not exact time.

Question 3

Vote independently

Accepted Answer

Each participant should vote based on their own assessment, without influence from others. This avoids bias and promotes productive discussions.

Question 4

Discuss discrepancies

Accepted Answer

When votes differ significantly, discuss the reasons. This reveals different assumptions and leads to better understanding of the story.

Question 5

Reach consensus

Accepted Answer

Continue voting until the team reaches consensus. The goal is not to be right, but to estimate work realistically.

Question 6

What is Agile Planning Poker?

Accepted Answer

Planning Poker is an agile consensus-based technique for estimating effort or relative size of user stories in software development. Team members make estimates by playing numbered cards face-down, then reveal them simultaneously to avoid bias.

Question 7

How does Planning Poker work?

Accepted Answer

1. Product Owner presents a user story. 2. Team discusses requirements and asks questions. 3. Each member selects a card representing their estimate. 4. Cards are revealed at the same time. 5. Discuss differences and re-estimate if needed.

Question 8

What are the benefits of Planning Poker?

Accepted Answer

Promotes team collaboration, reduces anchoring bias, encourages discussion of requirements, provides more accurate estimates, and creates a fun, engaging estimation process.

Question 9

What are the best practices for Planning Poker?

Accepted Answer

Keep sessions short (15-30 minutes per story), use Fibonacci sequence for estimates, include all team members, discuss outliers openly, and use relative sizing rather than absolute time estimates.

Planning Poker for Agile Teams

Planning Poker Guidelines

Quick Tips

For Estimators

For Moderators

Planning Poker FAQ

Planning Poker Guidelines

Quick Tips

For Estimators

For Moderators

Planning Poker FAQ